by M. Joseph Boehler

within me lie silent ruins,

tears falling like ash,

each heartbeat pleading against oblivion.

my heart, entombed in fractured memories,

now chilled by loss.

your love burned me to the ground,

a blaze that consumed everything.

i am left wondering:

did you love me then,

when you played with our fire?

now a lone ember smolders in my ribs,

its heat touching every thought,

turning broken dreams into a steady glow.

in the quiet of this place,

i see that the fiercest love,

given wholly, always bears a danger,

of leaving cinders lodged within.

i will ignite again.